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D23: STAR WARS EPISODE IX Has a Director!

Going on right now at the D23 Expo, Disney’s very own special convention, is the panel which pretty much everybody is most excited for: ‘Worlds, Galaxies and Universes: Live Action at the Walt Disney Studios,’ the panel which is all about Disney’s own live-action output and the stuff people actually care about, Marvel and Star Wars!!!

Marvel blew the roof off with Doctor Strange and Civil War (check out our coverage on the main page!) footage, but their time in the sun is over. After making us wait with The Jungle Book, Pete’s Dragon, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Beauty and the Beast and Pirates of the Caribbean, the expo finally headed to a galaxy far, far away, where they confirmed a long-standing rumour: Colin Trevorrow of Jurassic World will be stepping behind the camera for Star Wars: Episode IX.

“Colin is someone I’ve been interested in working with ever since I saw Safety Not Guaranteed,” says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “The power of that film paired with the enormous success of Jurassic World speaks volumes about his abilities both as a storyteller and skilled filmmaker. We are thrilled to have such an incredible talent as Colin join our family and step into the Star Wars universe.”

“This is not a job or an assignment,” said Trevorrow. “It is a seat at a campfire, surrounded by an extraordinary group of storytellers, filmmakers, artists and craftspeople. We’ve been charged with telling new stories for a younger generation because they deserve what we all had—a mythology to call their own. We will do this by channeling something George Lucas instilled in all of us: boundless creativity, pure invention and hope.”

I enjoyed the movie well enough, but the script was the weakest element; in terms of direction it wasn’t bad. Still, a much less exciting choice than Rian Johnson for Episode VIII. Let’s hope the final part of the trilogy will have a very good writer!

What Trevorrow did manage to get right was the sense of fun that so many summer blockbusters have been lacking these past few years, but it’s slowly creeping back into fashion. That’s exactly what Star Wars needs, and so long as he can capture that again then it should turn out alright.

Keep checking back to UTF for more Star Wars news – trust us, there’s a hell of a lot.